>For anyone interested in Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash or Rosanne, this is a 
>must hear!  
>To listen, go to: http://freshair.npr.org/guest_fa.jhtml
>
>By the way, the interview with Rosanne was after a somewhat dull interview 
with a >psychiatrist, but you can click the fast forward chapter button >>l to 
jump to it.
>
>Mark Eichelberger


Thanks for the tip, Mark. Rosanne Cash is one of my very favorites - a 
terrific artist whose latest album is perhaps her best yet. The "September When it 
Comes" duet with her father moves me like nothing else i've heard in a long, 
long time.

On the subject of Johnny Cash, I recently witnessed an improbable appearance 
by the Man in Black himself. It occurred two Saturdays ago at the Carter 
Family Fold in Hiltons, Va., which is located about six miles down the road from 
our house. For those unfamiliar with the Fold, it's an old barn in the mountains 
near the Va/Tn border that features bluegrass and old-time stringband music 
every Saturday night. It's adjacent to the Carter Family Museum and is run by 
Janette and Joe Carter (children of A.P. and Sara), both now in their 
mid-Seventies. The Fold is one of the great and unique music venues in America (it's 
also how my wife Anne and I found this lovely area to live when we decided to 
escape from North Jersey).

Anyway, the June 21 show was billed as a "Tribute to June Carter Cash," 
coming two days prior to what would have been June's 74th birthday. And though 
Johnny has been in poor health, it was rumored that he would stop by the Fold and 
perform a few songs if he felt up to it. Amazingly, he did show up! Ailing and 
about 80 percent blind, he was escorted to the stage, where he was joined by 
son John Carter Cash, daughter-in-law Laura Cash, and local guitarist Jerry 
Hensley for a remarkably stirring six-song tribute to June. Yes, he was 
physically weak, but he still had that unmistakable Cash presence and ability to 
communicate with an audience. It's not an exaggeration to say his performance was 
powerful. After his fifth song ("Ring of Fire"), he struggled to tell us how 
difficult it was to be "up here without her," calling it a "healing thing." He 
then concluded his set with "I Walk the Line." There was hardly a dry eye in 
the place as he departed, leaving the always-excellent Red Clay Ramblers with 
the daunting task of following a once-in-a-lifetime performance. 
 
As I drove home that night, I thought of how difficult it must have been for 
him to come out and perform given his particular circumstances. I thought of 
how it could well have been the last performance the man will ever give. I also 
thought of how often we as music fans jump the gun and refer to artists as 
"great" after one or two decent albums. True greatness, of course, plays out 
over a long period of time and is reserved for a select few. Johnny Cash fits the 
bill. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

Jim McGuinness